Vensim
| Developer(s) | Ventana Systems, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1990 |
| Stable release |
Version 6.4
/ June, 2016 |
| Written in | C |
| Operating system | Windows & OS X applications, Linux & iOS libraries |
| Type | Simulation software |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website |
vensim |
Vensim is simulation software developed by Ventana Systems. It primarily supports continuous simulation (system dynamics), with some discrete event and agent-based modelling capabilities. It is available commercially and as a free "Personal Learning Edition".
Modeling environment
Vensim provides a graphical modeling interface with stock and flow and causal loop diagrams, on top of a text-based system of equations in a declarative programming language. It includes a patented method for interactive tracing of behavior through causal links in model structure,[1][2][3] as well as a language extension for automating quality control experiments on models called Reality Check.[4]
The modeling language supports arrays (subscripts) and permits mapping among dimensions and aggregation. Built-in allocation functions satisfy constraints that are sometimes not met by conventional approaches like logit.[5] It supports discrete delays, queues and a variety of stochastic processes.
There are multiple paths for cross sectional and time-series data import and export, including text files, spreadsheets and ODBC. Models may be calibrated against data using optimization, Kalman Filtering[6] or Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. Sensitivity analysis options provide a variety of ways to test and sample models, including Monte Carlo simulation with Latin Hypercube sampling.
Vensim model files can be packaged and published in a customizable read-only format that can be executed by a freely available Model Reader. This allows sharing of interactive models with users who do not own the program and/or who the model author does not wish to have access to the model's code base.[7]
Applications
Vensim is general-purpose software, used in a wide variety of problem domains. Common or high-profile applications include:
- Transportation and Energy[8][9]
- Business Strategy[10]
- Health[11]
- Security and Terrorism[12]
- Project Management[13]
- Marketing Science in Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Products[14]
- Logistics[15]
- Environment[16][17][18]
See also
- Comparison of system dynamics software
- Computer simulation
- List of computer simulation software
- Monte Carlo simulation
External links
- Official Vensim web site
- Official Ventana Systems, Inc. web site
- Exploratory Modelling and Analysis (EMA) Workbench
- SDM-doc documentation tool[19]
- Forio.com - host for online Vensim models
- Spanish Distributor - ayuda en español
References
- ↑ "Vensim Causal Tracing™". Vensim - Ventana Systems.
- ↑ "Simulation system employing causal tracing. US Patent Application EP19910909851, Feb. 26 1991".
- ↑ "Applying successive data group operations to an active data group. Patent # 5,428,740". Justitia.com.
- ↑ Peterson, David W.; Eberlein, Robert L. (1994). "Reality check: A bridge between systems thinking and system dynamics". System Dynamics Review. 10 (2-3): 159–174. doi:10.1002/sdr.4260100205.
- ↑ Vensim Allocation by Priority
- ↑ Peterson, David Walter (1975). Hypothesis, estimation, and validation of dynamic social models : energy demand modeling (Ph.D.). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
- ↑ "Vensim Model Reader". Vensim - Ventana Systems.
- ↑ Goldner, Daniel; Borener, Sherry (2006). Evaluating NGATS Research Priorities at JPDO. 6th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration and Operations Conference (ATIO). Wichita, Kansas, US.
- ↑ Struben, Jeroen; Sterman, John D. (2008). "Transition Challenges for Alternative Fuel Vehicle and Transportation Systems". Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design. 35 (6): 1070–1097. doi:10.1068/b33022t.
- ↑ Sterman, John; Henderson, Rebecca; Beinhocker, Eric; Newman, Lee (2007). "Getting Big Too Fast: Strategic Dynamics with Increasing Returns and Bounded Rationality". Management Science. 53 (4).
- ↑ Deborah A. Marshall; et al. (2015). "Selecting a Dynamic Simulation Modeling Method for Health Care Delivery Research—Part 2: Report of the ISPOR Dynamic Simulation Modeling Emerging Good Practices Task Force". Value in Health. 18 (2): 147–160.
- ↑ Pruyt, E.; Kwakkel, J. H. (2014). "Radicalization under deep uncertainty: a multi-model exploration of activism, extremism, and terrorism". System Dynamics Review. 30: 1–28. doi:10.1002/sdr.1510.
- ↑ Rahmandad, H.; Hu, K. (2010). "Modeling the rework cycle: capturing multiple defects per task". System Dynamics Review. 26: 291–315. doi:10.1002/sdr.435.
- ↑ "Ventana Systems, Inc. Marketing Models". Ventana Systems.
- ↑ Anderson, Edward G., Jr.; Fine, Charles H.; Parker, Geoffrey G. (2000). "Upstream Volatility in the Supply Chain: The Machine Tool Industry as a Case Study". Production and Operations Management. 9 (3): 239–261.
- ↑ "The C-ROADS model". Climate Interactive.
- ↑ Sterman, John D.; Fiddaman, Thomas; Franck, Travis; Jones, Andrew; McCauley, Stephanie; Rice, Philip; Sawin, Elizabeth; Siegel, Lori (2013). "Management flight simulators to support climate negotiations". Environmental Modelling & Software. 44: 122–135. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2012.06.004.
- ↑ Weller, Florian; Sherley, Richard B.; Waller, Lauren J.; Ludynia, Katrin; Geldenhuys, Deon; Shannon, Lynne J.; Jarre, Astrid (2016). "System dynamics modelling of the Endangered African penguin populations on Dyer and Robben islands, South Africa". Ecological Modelling. 327: 44–56. doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2016.01.011.
- ↑ Martinez-Moyano, I. J. (2012). "Documentation for model transparency". System Dynamics Review. 28: 199–208.